


Geoff's Rise - AH Kings

by 0liveoil



Category: Achievement Hunter
Genre: Achievement Hunters, Alternate Universe - Achievement Hunter Kings, cause why not, im not sure how to tag things well i'd love help, with a bit of skyfactory too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 11:13:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20357536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0liveoil/pseuds/0liveoil
Summary: As kings rise and fall, the cursed crown grows stronger. Its glow attracts many, but to those who sacrifice the most are those who are crowned. Geoff, upon discovering a magical crown founds a kingdom and a power-hungry crowd waits for him to slip up. Even he may be unaware when his first mistake is made.





	Geoff's Rise - AH Kings

Deep beneath the surface, a miner, worn and tired brushed passed barriers and warnings to explore further into the caves. He felt the eyes of monsters, hidden in the shadows watched him closely. Most were not brave enough to venture this far.  
See, Geoff was searching for something, anything. These days were hard and he was down on his luck once too many times. His arms were tired, hands calloused and dirty, and eyes in the need of a good night’s rest. Digging and picking apart rock, he knew he couldn’t return to the surface empty-handed. 

As his pickaxe fell, again and again, he soon found a spark of gold. Uncovering it and brushing away the grit, he pulled his prize from the stone.  
A large golden ring sat in his hands. Blinking for a second the ring transformed- pillars and sharp spikes rose from the ring, intermingling and crossing to form a beautiful crown. Jewels of all sizes floated to the shiny surface. Geoff could hardly believe his tired eyes. 

Geoff looked up and down the empty passages, no one in their right mind would just leave something like _this_ behind. But there was not a trace of life. Returning his gaze to the crown he slowly lifted it above his head and put it on. 

A sharp pain met his temples, stumbling and falling to the ground. With a slight yelp, he shut his eyes tight and held his head. Geoff sat for a moment, letting the strange headache subside. Opening his eyes again he saw that almost everything had changed.

“What in the world…”  
His clothes were different- clean and no longer greyed by coal. Emerald greens and a new cloak around him, he was marvelled by his presence. Any of this would be worth a month’s work.  
He gathered himself, throwing his pick over his shoulder. 

_“I should get out of here…”_ Geoff thought to himself, peering at a map he carried of the mines. It, however, wasn’t needed, as a staircase suddenly dug itself out of the wall next to him. Geoff stared at it for a moment in disbelief. Stepping towards it and peering upwards, there was daylight. Geoff broke into a run, climbing up and up to the surface. Stepping above, the ground began to fall and fill behind him.

Geoff looked to the open sky above, clouds slowly passing. He stood in a wide, open field, with the land opening far around him. Small towns stood in the distance, the forests, and the mountain range separating the long stretch of fields from whatever else, far out of sight. The sun starting to set, the sky melting from blue to orange.

It was like a dream. 

Processing for a moment, Geoff suddenly turned, pointed to the ground and smiled.

“Build me a castle fit for a king.” The ground grew upwards, higher and higher. Walls formed from stone, passages for servants and entire rooms and halls were being created. Walls surrounding the castle began to grow with large doors and even larger guard towers.  
A large, open-air court stood as the main entrance into the castle. A golden throne sat above the lush garden. From every side, doors lead to other parts of the castle, and all of it was Geoff’s. 

He let his pickaxe clatter to the ground and ran to climb the throne’s stairs. Sitting, he sighed. Looking up to the slowly changing sky, from oranges to reds to purples, and the world suddenly falling asleep. 

“I’m King.” Geoff finally let reality sink in. Laughing, he repeated himself.

“I’m King.”

* * *

Geoff journeyed to the distant towns and villages, spreading the word about his growing kingdom. If striding into town with fine clothing and crown of gold wasn’t enough, he chose a very public and very busy place. He stood on the ledge of a statue towards the center square of one town. His appearance caught the eyes of many, but then he began to speak. Slowly everyone turned to listen.

“Plenty of space, and wide-open fields for work. I’d pay generously to the servants of the castle. And don’t even worry about moving and rebuilding! I’ll build it all for you, just like how I pulled the castle walls out of the ground. And I can build even more, enough to protect everyone from the night’s monsters.”

Hearing there was work available attracted many Fey and Half-Fey folk. Of monster decent, the ability to find pay was difficult for them. They ate up every word Geoff said. Small children ran to grab their parents, and soon the crowd grew larger. People stood underneath the statue, holding their groceries and nearby stands paused their work to listen.  
Some people, however, were less trusting of Geoff. 

“How will you pay us? How could one man build so many people’s homes?” A ragged looking man shouted. Many others joined in. 

“In one day?”

“He’s lying!”

“Well sir, I pulled a castle from the ground, not even a day ago,” Geoff pointed out to the far distance, his home standing proudly. Turning his hand palm-up, he paused. After a moment, pieces of gold and a gem or two sprung from his open hand. “And I have plenty to pay.”

The crowd, gasping at this sudden magic display rubbed their eyes and tugged on fellow onlookers. Geoff even surprised himself, but he wasn’t going to let them see that. From then on, word spread like wildfire.  
The children drag their parents to the square, pointing and snatching a loose gold coin from the ground. Travellers from other towns depart quickly to spread the word. They were laughed off, of course. A man pulling a castle from the ground, with money sprouting from his hands? The sudden appearance of the castle made it more believable, even more so when a man in a deep green cloak and a crown arrived in town, exactly the description the travellers gave. 

That evening, Ramsey built homes from the ground as carts and hundreds of citizens made their way through the valley. Homes, training grounds for guards, a market, he provided everything. As a kingdom rose from the ground, craftsmen worked harder than ever, blacksmiths forged tirelessly through the night, and that wildfire of His Majesty King Ramsay spread through the forests, across the fields, and up and down the mountain ranges.

* * *

Geoff was suddenly busier than ever before. He barely slept after the first days, tending to the public’s needs all he could, hiring and paying those to supply a kingdom.  
Sorting the servants, assignments, showing them their quarters and the twisting halls. All the while keeping tabs on the quickly growing amount of citizens, Geoff’s attention soon turned to appoint guards. He wanted only the best fighters and with the number of monsters with their eyes set on destroying unkempt towns, he had no doubt there was someone who could fight. 

Approaching the training grounds, there were already crowds of people, either to spar or to watch and cheer. Geoff began brushing past folks before the crowd began to clear a path, as he climbed a short flight of stairs to sit at a small balcony to view the fighting. 

It was difficult to pick one person to watch. There were squads firing arrows at the targets, people paired off in sectioned rings, fighting one another, and a crowd getting closer and closer every battle. A half-fey woman hit her mark with a crossbow, another narrowly missed their opponent with a heavy swing of their axe, as the defender rolled out of harm’s way. It was almost overwhelming. 

A pair facing off with swords kicked off and the cheers only grew louder. The sudden noise drew Geoff’s attention. The sandy-haired man, deflecting a swing had finer equipment- a merchant’s son maybe, Geoff thought. With confident steps and swings, he had managed to overwhelm and trip his opponent. Sheathing his sword and helping the other up, he cast a glance up to Geoff. Pulling the other to their feet, the king and the fighter’s eyes met, and as Geoff looked to view another, the two both smiled.


End file.
